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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:So how do you soften 30+ year old hard as concrete carb boots? What is the wintergreen oil for? I've used straight xylene before and it does a super job of softening up rubber on its own.
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Feb 29, 2012 04:23
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 13:29 |
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Have you tried a manual impact driver? Unless your pneumatic one is a serious heavy-duty model, you can often get more torque with a plain old handheld version and a sledgehammer. Plus it drives the socket onto the fastener so there's really no chance of it stripping.
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Mar 5, 2012 18:05
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I took the carb bodies out of the Pine-Sol they'd been soaking in for the last 24 hours. Holy poo poo! That stuff really, really works. All of the caked-on grease and oil and soot scrubbed off with a toothbrush like nothing. Highly recommended if you have parts to clean and need a cheap degreaser. I used 1 part pine-sol to 2 parts water. Also, since cleaning the outside of the carb bodies was the last thing I needed to do, I put the carbs back together. Adjusted the float height, etc. They seem pretty clean and solid now -- here's to hoping that later this week I'll be able to get the bike to wake up for the first time in more than thirty years... Finally, I started the electrolytic cleaning of the gas tank. Fill it up with sodium carbonate solution, insert coat hanger electrode, apply current. I'm not sure what is going on inside, exactly, but the surface of the water is slowly turning scummy and rusty so that's a good sign. Tomorrow: flush old oil that's been dissolving in sea foam for a week and put new stuff in in preparation for starting attempts.
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Mar 7, 2012 03:29
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M4rg4r1ne posted:When I saw this picture I thought that was a vehicle. Now I'm sad that it isn't.
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Mar 9, 2012 04:43
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Or, to put it in a more uncool way, the same stuff that IKEA makes its spatulas out of.
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Mar 9, 2012 05:47
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:But what about my bikes from the "Malaise" era? They had leaded gas right? It was therefore generally higher octane right? I think they started to phase out leaded gas in the United States around 1970, so anything built after that date *should* be designed to accept unleaded -- hardened valve seats and so on. You can check the compression ratio (more than 10.5 and you should probably be looking at premium) but unless there's pinging or knocking, particularly at high RPM, there's probably no significant benefit to high-octane gas. On the other hand, premium gas usually has no ethanol in it, and while I'm not aware of ethanol making an engine actually run poorly, it could be a factor. [e] nope, the EPA made its case in 1972, the phaseout of TEL started in 76, and was completed by 1986. Still, you shouldn't have any real problems. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Mar 9, 2012 |
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Mar 9, 2012 18:29
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:My sister just called me bitching about lack of floorspace in the garage and I'm pretty sure she just suggested that she might 'accidentally' knock them over. Wouldn't that actually further decrease the available floor space?
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Mar 10, 2012 05:52
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Bucephalus posted:Until now, I didn't know I needed one of these. That's what I rode at my MSF and I found it to be a bunch of fun. Pulls pretty nicely for a 200. The stock balloon tire on the back is a little weird but you could get rid of it. Try to find one in this pattern for maximum bitchin' radical tubularity: 
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Mar 12, 2012 00:26
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What phenomenon could make that happen? Why would premium gas actually decrease your mileage?
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Mar 12, 2012 19:00
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MrZig posted:Premium gas has less BTU's than regular gas. You always want to use the lowest reccomended octane level that's safe for your engine. The reason it has less BTU's is so that it doesn't detonate under higher compression. Huh, I had no idea that there was actually less energy per volume in premium gas. Weird. How far does that trend continue? Diesel fuel, for instance, would have an "octane rating" of like 500 since it doesn't detonate at all in a gas engine, but the fuel itself has a higher energy density than gasoline.
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Mar 12, 2012 19:30
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Sir Cornelius posted:There isn't. Octane rating doesn't relate to energy content of the fuel. It's a measurement of the tendency to burn controlled (no detonation). MrZig just said "Premium gas has less BTU's than regular gas." and you agreed with him -- if that's not true then what is actually happening? I understand that the octane rating is a measure of resistance to detonation, but I thought that was the ONLY difference (besides detergents, etc) between premium and regular. The two of you seem to be suggesting that fuel that ignites more easily produces more energy. That doesn't seem accurate because the octane rating, at least when you're dealing with actual isooctane, refers just to how extensively branched the hydrocarbon is -- all of the bonds are still single bonds so you're going to get the same energy from combustion regardless of the isomer. But I am willing to accept that there's something else at work that I don't get. My understanding is that if you put high octane gas in a low compression engine, it doesn't detonate, the spark still ignites it at the proper time, the compression ratio is the same regardless, and the burning fuel produces the same amount of energy as an equal amount of low-octane gas. So you have the same amount of power as if you used regular, but with more "headroom" to avoid detonation as it were. Which is why I can't figure out how an engine would run worse on premium than on regular. 
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Mar 12, 2012 20:09
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Ah, that makes a lot of sense, then. I wasn't aware that the octane rating affects the burn rate as well as the point of ignition. So theoretically if you advanced the ignition timing (and messed with the intake and exhaust too, I guess) you could get just as much power running premium in your low-comp engine as you would with regular? Also, shouldn't this mean that premium gas is actually worse in high-revving engines, because the slower burn means that the engine loses efficiency sooner?
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Mar 12, 2012 20:58
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Sir Cornelius posted:Let me blow your mind and tell you that there's no significant difference in the speed of the flame front travel between high and low octane fuel. If you really want to understand this, focus on compression ratio and ignition timing. Think of it as how much compression the air/fuel mixture can manage before it detonates rather than burns/combusts when ignited. You're contradicting what the other people are saying. I totally understand (and have said this a few times) that high octane fuel can withstand more compression than low-octane and so that allows you to use engines with higher compression ratios. Remember that these aren't diesels though! If the engine is working properly, the fuel should never ignite under compression, only when the spark fires. ReelBigLizard says that high-octane fuel burns more slowly as well as being more resistant to detonation, which is why an engine timed for regular can't extract as much energy from premium. But you say the flame front travels exactly as fast and produces exactly as much energy whether you use premium or regular. Assuming the mixture isn't pre-igniting, the compression ratio is the same, the ignition timing is the same, the fuel energy is the same, the flame propagation speed is the same. Yet clutchpuck claims that using premium made his engine run worse and decreased his fuel economy. What is going on?
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Mar 12, 2012 22:18
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Sir Cornelius posted:ReelBigLizard is kind of wrong then. High octane fuel combusts almost as fast as low octane. High octane can be compressed more before ignition and and wont detonate instead of combust. Lower octane fuel would detonate given same environment. Does that explain it? No, because the situation we're discussing is a constant engine that compresses the fuel a constant amount and doesn't detonate in either circumstance. Yet it runs worse with high-octane fuel. I'm crystal clear on the differences where you can alter the ignition timing and compression ratio to take advantage of the increased resistance to detonation, but I still can't figure out why premium would run worse in a given engine than regular. In ANY engine. At this point I'm tempted to just say "eh, clutchpuck probably perceived an effect that wasn't actually there" and drop it cause I think I'm just confusing myself more and this is certainly a huge derail. CONTENT Today I scrubbed enormous amounts of dirt and grease out of the clutch actuator and cleaned the parts themselves in paint thinner. Need to buy another tube of bearing grease and I can put it back together. I'm also halfway through what looks to be about a five-day process of electrolytically dissolving a damaged steel bolt out of an aluminum housing. It's working, but by god is it slow.
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Mar 12, 2012 22:48
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^^^ just drop it, man, it's starting agaaaaaaaainnnnnn You mean the confusion? Yeah, probably. Move from xylene to hexane with plenty of acids in between. I've got so many different chemicals working for me on this project that if I had a thread I would subtitle it "better motorcycling through chemistry". Paint thinner does an excellent job of dissolving grease, though. Then hit it with regular dishsoap to clean off the scum and you're golden. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Mar 12, 2012 |
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Mar 12, 2012 23:03
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Went to the local shop to ask about some parts 2x Avon Roadrider tires: $280 + tax (online price $202) 1x 12Ah flooded lead-acid battery: $80 + tax, no core rebate (online price $40) 1x chain: 1971 CL350 is not in online Honda parts catalog, therefore impossible to determine what chain it uses Then I went into the Honda room (the local place is about 60% harley 40% honda) to window shop, started playing with the levers on a CBR125, the guy walks up and laughs and says "oh you wouldn't like that one". "No? How come?" "Hah, it's...too fast for you." (laugh) "Well, I dunno, I kinda like the smaller bikes." "Well I guess on the right road I suppose. This thing is just too light for me. I'm used to heavier bikes so this one just feels like it's going to float away." Then I told him I was restoring a CL350 and he didn't seem to know what it was. Come on, guys. I really want to support the local businesses but this is just getting kind of hard now.
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Mar 13, 2012 21:43
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Electricals. Removed all trace of the starter motor, cleaned and adjusted both brake switches, cleaned the neutral switch, reinstalled the horn. Also removed the chain guard for cleaning, finally...who torques down a chain guard bolt to 180 lb-ft? Jesus. I need those stainless steel bolts to get here already so I can fill this thing back up with oil and get it started! You'd think it would be easy to find metric-thread bolts in Canada but no. Waiting and waiting for them to meander their way here from the distant (NOT) land of Ohio. On an old Honda, it's normal for the turn signals to be inoperative unless the engine is running, right? All four of the bulbs work individually, but they don't flash. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Mar 19, 2012 |
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Mar 19, 2012 00:16
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I don't mind the big interchange, but that vast wasteland of parking lot is depressing as gently caress.
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Mar 20, 2012 04:06
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Use lots of liquid wrench and a manual impact driver. Those things are miraculous.
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Mar 20, 2012 08:17
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I made the bike alive! For the first time since 1980! How's that for Honda reliability?   Got the bolts I needed, finally. Put the cases back on with new gaskets. Filled it up with fresh oil. Reinstalled the clean carbs and air filters. Made myself a ghetto gas tank out of a Gatorade bottle and some hot-glued vinyl hoses. Kicked it and messed with the choke for about two minutes -- it made a few coughs and rumbles and then all of a sudden VROOM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ougTYL7tQ-g (don't mind the ratcheting sound just after it starts...the main pegs were detached so I left my foot on the kicker by accident) I need to tune it, obviously; the idle is a little high (but rock solid), the upper exhaust is putting out more pressure than the lower, and it smells like it's running rich...but I guess I got the carbs dialed in pretty close cause it doesn't seem to stumble or judder or anything like that. This is the first time I've bought a completely non-running vehicle and made it go again, so suffice it to say, I am EXTREMELY HAPPY.
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Mar 22, 2012 02:23
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ReelBigLizard posted:Agreed, but it needs a JPS decal in gold to finish it off. Indeed. It was so cool that it made my dad take up smoking for a while in the 70s just so that he could smoke John Player Specials. I'd imagine an octogenarian ex-ad man sitting on his porch somewhere just felt a strange sense of satisfaction wash over him.
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Mar 22, 2012 22:24
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Stripped all the damaged paint off the gas tank -- chemical stripper really is mindblowing. It's like xenomorph blood or something https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ERMF0fEgNE I kind of like the look of the bare steel underneath. Is there some kind of wax or sealant that I can use to keep it rust-free, provided that I keep up with applying it, or is the only option a full-on clearcoat?
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Mar 24, 2012 02:27
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Yeah, all the haloalkanes are relatively bad for you, but I wear nitrile gloves and a VOC respirator when working with this kind of stuff. Mostly because paint stripper burns like hell when you get it on bare skin. I'm not sure what causes that, exactly, since (from experience) regular dichloromethane doesn't burn, it just feels very cold as it rapidly evaporates. It's good to protect yourself, and none of these chemicals will do you any good over a lifetime, but the acute toxicity in most cases does get blown a little out of proportion. CH2Cl2 is about as bad for you as gasoline, which everyone inhales plenty of whenever they're filling up their car... (But don't let it get anywhere near a source of intense UV, like an electric welding arc! It will decompose into phosgene and then you'll be REALLY hosed)
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Mar 25, 2012 08:04
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deliverator posted:First entry in the Used Bike Blues: My recently purchased Tiger 1050 stranded me at the liquor store due to a dead battery. How hard is it to bump-start something like that?
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Mar 29, 2012 18:37
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Agreed. Why aren't they any more? Why did manufacturers decide it wasn't worth having? I know that the bigger bikes would need compression releases and such and it would get complicated, but that still doesn't explain why they don't come on smaller engines. Kick starters are just so cooooool 
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Mar 30, 2012 17:31
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He means because a lot of modern bikes have fuel injection and an ECU and require power to run those. (Not all and certainly not all over 125cc though)
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Mar 30, 2012 20:45
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KozmoNaut posted:With me it's more like AAA WASPS! "When I left the band at the Pilot, I went home. Walked up to Fourth and took the trolley home, past the windows of the shops I see every day, each one lit up jazzy and slick, clothes and shoes and software, Japanese motorcycles crouched like clean enamel scorpions, Italian furniture." I always thought that was a pretty good description of a motorcycle.
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Mar 31, 2012 22:35
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My bike calls for 2.0L of oil, so I buy 2x1L bottles and pour it all in with a funnel.  [e] to actually be helpful...my car takes 4.5 litres of oil. So I found a 2-quart plastic container, measured 1.5 litres of water and poured it in, and marked that level with a sharpie. Now I just know that I need to fill the container up to that line three times to get the right amount. Pretty straightforward. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 06:12 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 06:05
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Z3n posted:Weird, never seen that before. All of the ones I've seen have been matched pairs. Could be something to do with the way the bike is assembled at the factory. Station 23 puts in standard bolts in these 8 locations, including one side of the caliper, and station 37 puts in socket-head bolts in a further 12 locations, including the other side of the caliper. This way the caliper is assembled in the optimum manner and each station only has to deal with one kind of fastener. It would be weird, but I've seen weirder poo poo happen in factories when the engineer optimized for initial production rather than ease of maintenance. See for instance those terrible cab-forward Chryslers where you have to take the front wheel off to access the battery.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:40
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mootmoot posted:I've lost the Miami Beach style 'Daytona' on the bottom and now it's like some T2 script but I think it's an improvement. I thought that was your favorite part? 
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Apr 2, 2012 12:59
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Finally got one fully functional clean petcock by taking three apart.  to the ravages of time that destroyed the innards of one, and to the PO of the other who apparently thought that "reverse thread" is something you do by jamming a RH steel nut onto LH aluminum threads and cranking it down with a breaker bar. Only spent 25 dollars all told though -- thank you to Charlie's Place.
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Apr 10, 2012 21:38
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I should have considered the plastic bag trick when I was rebuilding the headset and stem...then I wouldn't have had to fish around inside the front down tube with a magnet on a stick to get the balls back out
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Apr 28, 2012 16:48
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I discovered that a 1-3/4" rubber expansion plug is a nearly perfect fit for the starter motor fitting on my CL350. So, I finally got rid of it, having already removed the starter sprocket and chain and all the electronics that control it. It was squealing and since the bike starts just great with the kick, eh, who needs the extra 10 pounds? Now the front of the engine is quite a bit more open and clean-looking, with just a little brass disc where the starter was. Neato. Also, I lubed up some nipples and twisted them good and tight. One wheel is now trued up and the other is getting there. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 04:56 on May 1, 2012 |
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May 1, 2012 04:45
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When you change your brake fluid, it is a Very Bad Thing to have air bubbles in the fluid lines. Normally the way you get rid of bubbles is by opening a port or valve in the system, squeezing the handle/pushing the pedal to squirt out some fluid + air, closing the port, releasing the handle, and repeating many times. If you don't do it carefully in this order, more air will enter through the open valve. This is a pain in the rear end. A speedbleeder is a little spring-loaded check valve that opens and closes itself under pressure, so all you do is unscrew the valve a bit, squeeze the handle a bunch of times, and tighten it down again. Done.
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May 10, 2012 01:18
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You know, I never thought that particular Nighthawk was a very pretty design, but somehow it looks a lot better with all the badges cleaned up.
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May 13, 2012 01:05
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:The theory behind why Higher Octane gas goes bad faster is that the more volatile "explosive" chemicals evaporate leaving behind heavier and less volatile chemicals. That's a poor theory, because pure isooctane has a higher boiling point and lower vapor pressure than any of its isomers
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May 25, 2012 17:57
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Legerdemain posted:I'm trying to think of a chain cleaning procedure where doing it in your living room wouldn't be a disastrous idea. Remove chain from bike outside, put it in a sealed tupperware container full of paint thinner, bring into your living room, shake around to clean it, go back outside to re-mount and re-lube. e: don't do this to o-ring chains
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May 29, 2012 17:54
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I gutted and cleaned my carbs, discovering that not only were the vacuum slides frozen in place (I knew that yesterday), but the pilot jets were clogged too. I'm amazed at how much disgusting resinous poo poo built up inside from only sitting 6 weeks without running. Except for some idle issues and a lower-than-usual power output, the bike was running quite happily on just the main jets. Another point to Soichiro Honda. I also took apart my flasher relay and repaired it. Interesting how people did things before there were transistors...a carefully-shaped bimetallic strip and some lateral thinking is all you need.
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Jun 1, 2012 07:23
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Aargh posted:For foam molds and shaping there's a blue foam we used for form studies and design mock ups back when I was at uni. It's really fine grained, it cuts and sands very well (though i imagine the airborne sanded bits are toxic as poo poo and ill be coughing them up for years yet). Unfortunately I've no idea what its called or where you would get it these days, a Google on foam and design and a few other terms should get you something pretty good. Blue foam is still just extruded polystyrene insulation foam. It probably differs depending on who the specific supplier is, but in my experience the blue foam is generally denser and more rubbery than the pink foam. Blue foam is softer, smoother and better for more detailed work; pink is rigid, cuts faster and doesn't clog sandpaper as quickly. They're both plain old EPS though and you can get both at Home Depot. EPS is chemically inert at room temperature, so if you inhale the dust you'll cough it back out eventually with no real health effects, but the gases produced when you cut it with a hot wire or burn it aren't something you should be breathing. Just for completeness' sake, green foam (florists' foam) is incredibly soft and grainy and shouldn't be used for anything but rapid experimental form studies, and white foam (like what your cooler is made of) is basically satan in extruded thermoplastic form. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Jun 8, 2012 |
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Jun 8, 2012 00:57
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 13:29 |
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Gnaghi posted:^^^^^Stuff like this is why I don't play the riding game. It's more fun just doing my own thing on the bike than running around looking for landmarks or completing random as hell tasks. Eh, when it's open-ended and you basically can look something up on Google Maps and then go on a ride you hadn't considered before, it's a neat idea. "Your bike in the back of a truck, with an animal somewhere, in front of a fast food place" is some kind of spergy RPG fetch-quest poo poo.
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Jun 8, 2012 16:20
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